The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain was published by Doubleday (UK) in October 2015 and is the explicit sequel to Notes from a Small Island. Twenty years after his original farewell tour, Bryson — now a British citizen — travels again from coast to coast, comparing the Britain of 2015 with the Britain of 1995. He finds some things improved (the food, the coffee, the National Trust), some things deteriorated (the high streets, the litter, the architecture), and some things eternal (the countryside, the pubs, the eccentricity).
The book is crankier than its predecessor — Bryson is twenty years older and less tolerant of stupidity — but the fundamental affection for Britain remains, and the comedy is sustained by Bryson’s willingness to be simultaneously a grateful immigrant and a sharp-eyed critic.
The Cranky Sequel
Reviews noted that Bryson was angrier in this book — more willing to name specific targets of his irritation (council planners, litterers, developers who demolished Georgian buildings). Some readers found the crankiness delightful; others missed the sunnier tone of the original. The consensus is that Little Dribbling is good Bryson but not peak Bryson.
Collecting The Road to Little Dribbling
First edition (Doubleday, London, 2015): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $30–$75
- Very good: $15–$30
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation. As a companion volume to Notes from a Small Island, it benefits from the demand for that classic.